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The Kings of Hawthorn #1

Claiming What's His

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Ten years ago, I was eighteen and cut off by my family for breaking up with a boy that broke my heart. A boy that I’d been dating for ten years, who just happened to be from one of the most prestigious families in all of New York.

My parents tried to blackmail me into begging him to take me back, but I’d refused, so they chose power and their snobby social circle over me. And I’d been on my own, barely able to survive for the last decade as a result.

But that was all going to change, because I landed the job of a lifetime, and I was finally going to claw my way out of the sewers of New York City and make something of myself.

At least, that had been my grand plan until I walked into my new boss’s office and found out that the alpha billionaire that ran the incredible empire, I’d been so eager to join, was no other than the boy that I never got over.

And not only did the electricity still burn blindingly bright between us, but it turned out I was still incapable of turning him down when he said things like, You’re Mine.

403 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 27, 2022

464 people are currently reading
758 people want to read

About the author

A.M. McCoy

26 books825 followers

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5 stars
425 (37%)
4 stars
288 (25%)
3 stars
215 (18%)
2 stars
105 (9%)
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106 (9%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 131 reviews
Profile Image for Inna.
1,686 reviews370 followers
August 10, 2022
This book is a dumpster fire. I don't ever read cheating books, and for good reason. However, I saw a comment saying that maybe there was a reason why he cheated...that there were "extenuating circumstances". So I decided to go see for myself. Big mistake. This author is a misogynist, plain and simple. I am disgusted by what I read...go read the quotes I posted if you don't believe me.

Spoilers below, sorry, not sorry.

1. The first chapter 10 years ago, when she catches him in the act of fucking her BEST FRIEND. A graphic scene, something I'm sure really adds to the romance?? That is the only time this heroine shows any spine. She walks away from him...and she should have stayed gone.

2. When they are reunited... She is a PA and he's a CEO if a huge company, a conglomerate... and he doesn't even question mentioning that she's done nothing with her life. He shits all over her accomplishments immediately, what a great guy!!

3. Just how the author wrote these characters.... he cheated, and went on to become a big hot shot. He talks about bending women over his desk in his office almost immediately in his POV chapter. He is a cheater, a pig, just fucking disgusting. Meanwhile, the heroine is a lowly PA, who is having trouble making ends meet. Just the way that they spent those 10 years is enough for me to quit reading a story. Does this author hate women? I think so... let me elaborate.

4. The hero talks about protecting her and giving her a better life. He says, work for me and "you'll actually be doing something worth being proud of". I'm sorry, but are we women that weak? Is this book actually set in the 1800's? WHY DOES SHE NEED PROTECTION? And why is what she accomplished nothing to be proud of? Why did this author take such a shit on this heroine?

5. Their sex scene, that happens immediately when they are reunited... she says no several times... "Get off of me Maverick", "Wait", "We can't", Just during that time, he has dragged her into his office, has silenced her with his kiss, has started to undress her, and put his fingers inside of her. Does she capitulate? Yes. But she immediately regrets her decision after he FINISHES INSIDE OF HER WITHOUT A CONDOM. And so her betraying body syndrome made her do something she didn't want, but the hero also didn't stop when she repeatedly asked him to. WHAT A GREAT GUY, and let's not forget the STDs...since he was also fucking her best friend RAW in that first chapter. What are the chances that this guy even knows what a condom is?

6. He blames her for leaving him in his "time of need". Supposedly her leaving after catching him railing her best friend was just as bad as what he did. She hurt him so much, the poor baby. He doesn't EVER consider her feelings. Oh, and he goes on to date that best friend exclusively. LOL.

7. His "excuse" for cheating ... he lost his twin brother. He was devastated, so broken. He needed to fuck hard, and she rejected him once and he forced himself on her, and he felt soooo terrible the next morning. He decided that he couldn't get his needs met with her anymore, so he CHOSE HER BEST FRIEND. Like, in what world is this forgivable?? I don't care how much grief he was suffering from, he didn't talk to her, he didn't drink himself silly or turn into a drug addict, no...he fucked someone. Because we all know that men can't keep their dicks in their pants, right? They need to let out the anger and hurt by FUCKING SOMEONE HARD.

8. She didn't stay celibate, but clearly wasn't even close to what the hero was. He was a manwhore all the way, not able to count all his conquests.

The sad thing is, I could go on and on about how fucked up this book is. It's full of sexism, misogyny and cringe lines that made me want to throw my phone across the room. And I only read the first four-ish chapters, then skipped around to his explanations and other fun parts that made me want to throw up. I'm going to need to look at cute kittens and puppies to recover from the disgust that this book has me feeling.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Beeg Panda.
1,638 reviews593 followers
August 29, 2022
✅Going in I knew there was cheating.
⛔️Didn’t realise the cheating was “you couldn’t give me the kind of sex I needed so I got it from your best friend. And other ow. But more often with your BFF because she did it better than the others.”
⛔️Didn’t like the on page proof of previous point.
⛔️Didn’t realise he and the bestie didn’t have a mere fling, but were in an “exclusive relationship” after the h left.
⛔️That he didn’t look for her for 10 years but now that she appears quite by coincidence in his life he goes after her like a man possessed. Professing his undying love…um…no… 🧐 you don’t know each other so hth do you love each other🙄
⛔️Didn’t realise he was gonna mess up. Again. Mid “grovel”. Which actually isn’t a grovel, but more of an “I want you so I’ll do what I have to keep you.” <—- which of course doesn’t last long 🤦🏼‍♀️ hence the mess up. I didn’t see it coming, so kudos for that👍
Profile Image for swedishruler B.
333 reviews154 followers
August 8, 2022
This is really a load of bullshit. He cheats on her with her best friend (I mean who else would he with🤮) and he’s mad at her for leaving him. Lmao 😂 you gotta be kidding me. It’s sad 😔 together for 10years and he does this to her. Maybe something else. First they see each other again they go at it like nothing happened. ☹️
Profile Image for Mojo_Mama.
1,598 reviews841 followers
November 21, 2022
2 stars…Not even worth my time. Just H/h sex scene after sex scene. It made all the angsty goodness nonexistent. Seriously. WTF was the point?!?!?

And as for the trigger chicks…

JFC…what is wrong with you bitches????

Every single angst-ho I know understands this is F-I-C-T-I-O-N.

DO YOU????

No one I know online or IRL that reads OR WRITES this shit thinks…I can’t wait for a guy to fuck around on me, I just can’t wait for some guy to take care of me cuz I’m too dumb to do it myself, I can’t wait for some guy to treat me like shit, I can’t wait for some guy to go all 1950’s on me.

Like, for fucking real???

Are you serious with this shit???


If a woman is going to allow that in her life, in today’s society, she isn’t learning it from bad, trashy fiction. And if you’re so impressionable that you’d read this shit and think it’s ok, maybe you should BLAME your parents for being shitty role models, OR maybe you’re just not adult enough for the real world.

THE ONLY ONES MAKING WOMEN WEAK ARE THE ONES TRYING TO CENSOR WHAT WOMEN CAN THINK, READ, WRITE, SAY, OR DO.

You do you, boo. 💋

And I’ll read whatever the fuck I want.


2 stars cuz it turned into porn…but fuck those bitches, I’m leaving a 5.
Profile Image for Jena .
2,313 reviews2 followers
avoid
July 29, 2022
Self note avoid
Cheating H.
He cheats on the h with her bestfriend.
When they see each other again they go at it like nothing happened. Doormat h.
Profile Image for Serialbookstarter:Marla.
1,261 reviews93 followers
August 8, 2022
The plot is so far fetched that you have to literally pretend it doesn’t exist and use your imagination to create a new one…. Maverick cheats on Cora while grieving over his twin. They are both 18 at the time and have been loving each other since kindergarten. Cora ditches him. Okay that’s realistic enough… then the silly plot goes ridiculous. Cora’s millionaire parents kick her out on the streets to become homeless for 10
Years because she wouldn’t immediately forgive cheating Maverick Jones. 10 more years pass and Cora forgot her bff boyfriend of 10 years last name was Jones and can’t piece together that he owns Jones Holdings a company that owns the tech company she lands a job with…. Btw Cora had multiple Ivy League scholarships and speaks Mandarin Chinese but she can’t put 2 and 2 together. Cora and Maverick are shockingly reunited and then go at it like bunny’s for most of the book. Another problem is that Maverick is a billionaire and never bothered to use his resources to find the love of his life…. Meanwhile she lives in the same city as him. I do like that he’s so OTT crazy in love with her but where was this love the last 10 years? Both mcs blame Cora’s parents for their 10 year separation… hmmm what??? What about the cheating? Anywho Maverick wants revenge on Cora’s whole family for kicking her out and losing 10 years of happiness with her… nevermind that he could have hired someone to find her… I guess he’s dumb too. But wait he’s not the only dumb one… Cora’s family decide to have her sister murder her in the bathroom at a fund raiser —where they publicly threatened her —-so they can collect on a life insurance policy… yeah the police will never figure that one out. Harry Bosch can you believe this????? After the bathroom near murder Maverick decides he can’t risk hurting pregnant Cora—-who he purposefully impregnated think breeding kink—- so he leaves her right then and there on the bathroom floor covered in blood….after she’s had 6 shots fired at her and her sister killed In Front of her. Way to go douche bag. So…For
2 months pregnant and depressed Cora wastes a way to skin and bones…. And then all of a sudden Maverick returns and she immediately forgives him. They have more bunny sex and they get their HEA.
The author needs to watch some criminal minds etc. because this was probably the worst plot I’ve ever read. The characters had potential and she should have just stuck with their love story. It
Was just too hard to suspend your intellect to buy into
The bogus plot.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Vintage.
2,728 reviews738 followers
April 19, 2024
Negative million stars for the Property Brothers hero, the heroine, the plot, the numerous and icky sex scenes, and the lack of anything resembling real life.

2 stars for the author's complete and utter dedication to fiction.

Let me count the ways:

H cheats on heroine. Ten years later he still blames her for leaving him. Hey, kids make mistakes, okay. She should have hung in and forgiven him.

Heroine is kicked out by her parents the same night for having some pride. Well, she had some pride then. When H finds out, he then blames her parents for the loss of ten years. Self reflection is not a thing with this guy since cheating with h's best friend and getting caught in the act doesn't seem to factor in on why his blow up doll went missing for ten years.

H and h have sex about ten minutes after they meet again. The first of many icky, sticky hookups.

Heroine saves the day with her high school Mandarin during a meeting. "Saving the day" being a billion dollar meeting.

H and h have sex where one go his partners can both hear and see them. The H melts down later over jealousy.

Heroine is a Perils of Pauline kind of girl. In the course of one book, she's mugged, assaulted by a store manager for supposed theft, almost run down by a truck full of pig iron, and Glad she didn't have a dog.

H goes after the h's evil family which was pretty entertaining.

There's more, but I'm tired.
Profile Image for Tessa.
902 reviews98 followers
August 1, 2022
How dare her parents cost them 10 years of happiness!!

How dare she abandon him after she caught him literally screwing her BFF!

How dare she break his heart!

Doesn't she realize he's a victim too?!!

I mean it obviously wasn't his fault, he may of cheated with her best friend but she was gonna forgive him, he just knew it!

2 this Zero needs a serious reality check stars🙄
Profile Image for Jacqueline Buffa.
73 reviews
August 4, 2022
i always finish books, but this was a struggle. i could not get over the glaring misogyny and the way the fmc was just portrayed to be so…weak?? it was a toxic relationship. the one redeeming character was one of the side characters and then we get a glimpse of him in the preview for the next book set from his pov and i am genuinely concerned about homophobic comments that might be made in the book, considering some of the comments in this book that had me physically cringing.
trigger warnings for this book: nonconsensual situations, aversion to birth control, controlling (past the point of possessive), cheating
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Cheryl.
2,137 reviews63 followers
January 17, 2023
This could have been so much better

There's missing words in sentences, unfinished words, as well as spelling errors. Everyone makes mistakes though right?

So now for the story. It started great u until the following chapter. Cora has no backbone whatsoever. As soon as she sees Mav and they finish the meeting she has sex with him in his office. Like nothing happened... He destroyed her 10 years previous cheated on her. Then her family disowned her and what she jumps on his uh um like nothing happens.

So as that happens you get very little talking and A LOT OF SMEX times to the point I was skipping chapters at a time. That's bad! The best part of the book is at the brothers Memorial party.

Mav then leaves her for 2 months because he doesn't want her hurt because of him. HELLO! Now she's all along again even though their married, he broke his vows by not standing by her. But what happens??????

You guessed it SMEX again hey that's the cure all. No words and she goes back to our house The End.
Profile Image for Rebecca.
35 reviews1 follower
August 24, 2022
I hate writing poor reviews, but what I hate more is a cheater.

The book starts off with the mmc cheating on the FMC (after TEN YEARS together) with her best friend & him begging for another chance. It was also made obvious that this wasn’t a one time thing, he had cheated multiple times already.

Fast forward ten years and, of course, the MMC is a billionaire CEO while the FMC is hardly making ends meet. She goes for a job interview & after a few non important details, sees the MMC again. The kicker? HE is mad at HER for leaving (excuse me, what?).

Insert a lot of filler & voila! They’re back together, she forgives him after zero groveling. Which makes no sense considering she was apparently kicked out, disowned, homeless & hungry since they separated but that’s apparently all good now? Okay then.

The couple solve their issues with one thing..sex. They hardly ever have a meaningful conversation & when they do the FMC caves like a doormat every time even when she isn’t in the wrong just to appease MMC. Don’t get me wrong, I love a spicy book, but if you’re going to create such a heavy dynamic then leave it so empty, why bother?

Fast forward to the near end. Couple is married & expecting. MMC is super excited. Then at a fundraiser, FMCs family tries to have her killed & instead of being a man about it, MMC decides he needs to leave to keep the FMC and their baby safe. AND WALKS AWAY FOR TWO MONTHS!!

We then see FMC struggling, not eating, and all out avoiding life. MMC misses the first ultrasound and everything. So how do they get past it once he realizes he screwed up? You guessed it, sex. Homeboy literally walks into her apartment in the middle of the night AFTER TWO MONTHS OF NO CONTACT OR COMMUNICATION and she asks for sex?


Bottom line, the MMC was a total tool and the FMC was a total doormat. This book didn’t leave me feeling good, it left me angry & disgusted.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Bri.
4,383 reviews2,398 followers
October 26, 2024
I'm glad I read this series out of order and started with the book because this one just didn't do it for me and I'm not sure I would have continued with the series had I read this first. The premise was okay enough but there was zero groveling for literally anything and Cora and Maverick jumped back into a relationship way too fast for my liking. It made the last 60% of the book feel like nothing but filling or an overly extended epilogue and I quite honestly skimmed it just to finish.
Profile Image for Sophie.
45 reviews1 follower
November 7, 2024
I adored this book. It's a second chance romance of a couple that were childhood sweethearts that should never have been apart. However Mav messed up badly I don't think personally I would have been able to forgive him but once you read his reasoning on why he did it however wrong it still was I understand. This is a fast burn novel filled with lots of spice and plenty of steam, some very sweet moments, a stubborn h and a very jealous and possessive man. Cora and Mav were literally made for one another no matter what they've gone through they love each other completely even after a decade away from one another their love for one another remained. I loved Dexter and Reid I cannot wait to read their books, even if Dexter's isn't something I usually read romance wise I just loved him so much and need more. I also can't wait to see all these characters return in the next book. Whenever I read a book by A.M McCoy I am always gripped in the first few pages and as always she did not fail me this time an amazing story with incredible characters and I can't wait to read more of her work in the future.
Profile Image for ra.ra.reads.
142 reviews
July 27, 2022
Claiming What’s His was a sweet, spicy and very sexy second chance romance. Maverick Jones is an OTT alpha billionaire who longs for a lost love and will do anything to keep her once she’s back in his arms. This man has a mouth on him and he certainly knows how to use it.
Cora Valentine lost everything when she stood up for herself and her integrity 10 years ago, and she’s had to fight and claw her way though life to get anywhere since. She’s smart, strong and snappy. She knows her worth and takes nothing less.
Together for years and then separated for 10, these two make up for lost time and then some. This was fun and highly enjoyable read. AM McCoy knows how to write steamy, sexy stories and this was no exception
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Profile Image for Lady Lauren Explorer.
850 reviews42 followers
February 17, 2024
4.75!

I definitely need to get this in a physical.

I think the only reason it wasn’t a full five star read for me is because there wasn’t enough angst when it came to the cheating for me.

Other than that, it was heartening, and there were some very gut wrenching experiences during the plot, and I really did like most of the justice that was served.
Profile Image for BrekkeReads.
17 reviews3 followers
August 1, 2022
@A.M. McCoy really came out with the feels right off the hop in this one. I have never been disappointed reading one of their books and Claiming What's His was no exception! To be honest, this was the first second chance book I have read and I wasn't sure how I would like it. I feel as though the way Cora & Mav handled it was well done and can see myself reading more of this trope if handled in a similar way.
Profile Image for Christina.
66 reviews14 followers
July 27, 2022
Note: I received this as an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Start to finish, one of the steamiest books I have ever read. It is definitely a second chance romance after cheating, but it happens at the very beginning when they're teens so it didn't give me the ick cheating normally would. The reconnection of the characters after years apart has their chemistry off the charts. It really is a great feel good romance and constant reaffirming how deeply in love the characters are. I really enjoyed the entire book and would recommend it to anyone just wanting a feel good story that you can't put down. Cora and Maverick are insatiable when it comes to each other!
Profile Image for Molly.
472 reviews5 followers
July 27, 2022
This book was explosive!! Wow!! Maverick and Cora have a second chance at love and their relationship and they are all in from the beginning. While they have some rocky moments and I got super frustrated with Mav towards the end, I loved that he supported Cora when she returned to him. This was also the spiciest book I’ve read in a while, the dirty talk, while I’m not a huge fan, was incredibly well done. Loved this and can’t wait for the next!!
Profile Image for Michele DiPaolo.
12 reviews
July 28, 2022
I could not put the book down! Cora and Mav’s story pulled at my heart strings and honestly kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time, let alone the spice was too freaking notch!!!! This was my first book by A.M. McCoy and I am in love! I cant not wait to read the second book in this series and see the characters develop!
Profile Image for Brittany Carpenter.
44 reviews
July 31, 2022
Well ummmmm what can I say. I don’t feel anything I write will cover how good this book was. I couldn’t put it down.. I loved it so much!!
Profile Image for Meagan.
101 reviews1 follower
July 28, 2022
I received this book as an ARC and it captivated me from the first page. This book was steamy, spicy, and hit all the good spots! This usually isn’t my trope but I got into the story quickly and became consumed!
Profile Image for Jess.
457 reviews
July 27, 2022
When I tell you I devoured this book in like 5 hours! It was so fast paced, fun, emotional, and spicy! I loved Cora and Maverick!! Cannot wait until the next book!!
Profile Image for Liz.
519 reviews18 followers
August 15, 2022
I loved this so much! Mav is such a possessive, controlling asshole who is determined to get back the only person he ever loved and Cora is a strong, determined, sassy as hell woman who wants nothing more then to succeed and do it with handouts. The chemistry is amazing between the two of them, the banter, the stubbornness, the passion. The fire between them leaves you needing a fan cause once that man sets his sights on the prize, he does not quit. (So there is lots of smexy time 🤌)
Profile Image for Watts of Reading .
146 reviews3 followers
September 2, 2022
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5 Stars

Things I know when reading A.M. McCoy's books
1. I will not come up for air until I finish
2. The spice is "bring me a fire extinguisher" hot
3. Sweet moments
4. She will add another book boyfriend to my never ending list
What I didn't expect though was to be hit right in the
feelings when I opened this book.
Did I have a moment of tearing up? yes, yes I did.
Was it worth it? Yes, yes it was.

A spicy second chance romance where the characters will leave you in tears, laughing out loud, and having you trying to get in a freezer to cool down.

Maverick is the sexy grumpy alpha billionaire who hides in his work.
Cora is the sassy, sweet, intelligent woman trying to achieve something out of life.
Both still fighting with a past that left them broken 10 years ago.

Their life was planned out from a young age.
Childhood crushes to High school sweethearts.
They had goals they planned to achieve together.
But one traumatic incident led to bad decisions
that set their lives on a different path.

"I'd waited ten years to hear her say those words to me, but now
that I had them I couldn't help but feel guilty instead of validated."

EDITED TO ADD: PLEASE CHECK THE TRIGGERS LOCATED IN THE FIRST FEW PAGES OF THE BOOK. THERE IS A DETAILED LIST SO YOU DON'T WALK INTO THE STORY UNPREPARED!
903 reviews
October 6, 2022
Good book. Childhood sweethearts. I like cheating tropes but if you don’t, I suggest skipping this book. Sex with ow is on page and h sees it. He cheats after graduation, after his twin bros death. She ends up working for his company 10 yrs later. The book had great sex scenes, but too many, causing it to be unnecessarily long. I liked their friends. Her family is evil and tries to kill her for insurance money. They have some more obstacles and heartbreak but work everything out.
I’m also liked that the author didn’t make the h celibate her years away from H. A lot of authors do that and it pisses me off.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Meli.
38 reviews2 followers
December 2, 2022
This is the first book I have read by A.M. McCoy and I could not put it down. Right from the start I was pulled into Cora and Mav's story. I started off hating Mav but as I read further I was captivated. Second chance romance with top notch spicy scenes. LOVED. I can not wait for the next book to see the rest of the characters develop.
Profile Image for Kate ☕ (semi-hiatus).
659 reviews
never
August 29, 2022
I was forced to create another shelf, because for some writers cheating H is not enough, and silly me thought cheating is cheating no matter what. It ISN'T. Well justified cheating could be excused in some rare cases, but guy who sleeps with you BFF? NEVER! At least do some justice to the readers, and don't call this romance, tragedy would be more fitting...
Profile Image for Ivy Blacke.
Author 21 books23 followers
March 14, 2026
Cora was wronged by Maverick when she caught him railing her best friend. Heartbroken at eighteen. Her life was planned out with Maverick. She was so heartbroken so she turned to her mother, who turned her away.

Ten years later she had finally landed a job making more money and she needed it. She had been fending for herself for the last ten, struggling to pay bills, eat and survive.

When Maverick walks into the conference room and sees her, he is shocked and transported to her leaving him and never coming back.

There is drama to the very end. It was a good story line but if you don't like constant smut, this will be a bit much. I love smut and it was even a bit much for me. Maverick is obsessed with her and their connection is completely laid out in this book. No denying there is a connection.

Still enjoyed it. Loved how Maverick demands respect for her and protects her. The true alpha man, until the end....
Displaying 1 - 30 of 131 reviews